Exploring chromosome folding, genome architecture, and their impact on disease
We study the spatial organization of the genome within the Department of Genetics and Epigenetics Institute at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. To learn more about the specific research directions we are exploring, please click the links below.
Our lab investigates how chromosomes fold inside the nucleus and how this 3D architecture controls genome function. We study protein machines like cohesin and condensin that organize DNA at different scales, from local loops to whole chromosome territories, revealing the rules that shape genome stability and gene regulation.
Disruptions in genome folding can cause developmental disorders such as Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. We connect basic discoveries about chromosome architecture to disease mechanisms, with the goal of identifying new ways to “drug the 3D genome” and restore proper gene regulation.
We develop cutting-edge imaging tools, including continued improvements to Oligopaints and our high-throughput HiDRO platform, to map genome organization in single cells at scale. These technologies power genome imaging and genome-wide screens that uncover new regulators of nuclear architecture and provide methods broadly used by the research community.
The Joyce Lab at UPENN 